Couple lose home in West R’veldt fire

A couple lost their West Ruimveldt, Georgetown home in a fire of unknown origin yesterday morning.

The two-storey Lot 6 Yarrow Dam, West Ruimveldt house was destroyed within minutes by the fire, which started around 10.30 am.

Herman Norton, 65, who operated a small workshop at the bottom flat of the house, said he was busy at work when he felt an intense heat.

Upon checking, he said he noticed the house was engulfed in flames.

The shop was used by Herman for the manufacturing of shopping bags.

An alarm was raised and with the assistance of residents of the community efforts, were made to put out the blaze until the Guyana Fire Service arrived.

Herman lived at the property with his 63-year-old wife, Geeta Norton, who was leaving their yard at the time of the fire. Geeta was not well and was going to visit a doctor.

“I don’t know what happen after then, it [the house] just bun out like duh,” Herman said.

The burnt remains of the house.

While unable to estimate his losses, the distraught man said that he is currently staying at his daughter’s residence until he decides his next move. “Me nah know wah me guh do because ah everything bun up in dah house. Every single thing. Me nah get to save nothing—this clothes here wah ah got on is all I save,” Herman said, while explaining that due to the intense heat he did not risk going back into the building.

Meanwhile, his neighbour, Puran Singh, whose house was scorched, said he was out when he received a call about the fire. As a result, he said he immediately rushed back home.

The entire front of Singh’s house, including his door and louvre windows, was damaged. His water tank was also destroyed.

When Stabroek News visited the scene, Singh was replacing the burnt door and windows with the help of residents of the area. “Everybody run out and try fuh see wah they could do,” a resident related to this newspaper.

“The fire did so much we couldn’t do much. We soak them other building them and try fuh save them,” the man said, while relating that if this were not done, the fire could have quickly spread to nearby houses.

While the firefighters were praised for a job well done, residents voiced concern over the constant fluctuation of electricity in the area for over one year now.

“Yuh know how much thing done bun up? That girl got five fan done bun up. We call GPL [Guyana Power and Light Incorporated] already. Hay got light, hay got blackout,” a resident said, while noting that fluctuation of electricity has been an issue in the area for more than one year now.

They noted that several complaints were made in the past but nothing was ever done to rectify the problem.

“When you call them and tell them duh and when yuh go into them, them ask yuh if yuh want back fan money and all kinda thing,” the man stated. “Them does come, check up and once everything alright they gone put it on again. Duh man deh he fan dem bun up too, all he generator all wah he does do welding wuk with,” he further said, while adding “them ah seh they got some problem somewhere and they gah fuh fix it.”